checking in about my pump weaning progress

My baby is going to be in a few days! I have slowly pump weaned over the last month or so, still nursing at lunch time and relying on my frozen stash for bottles at daycare until we introduce cows milk this weekend. Until recently, she was given a morning bottle, I nurse at lunch, and then she got an afternoon bottle. Our plan at daycare starting next week is to offer her a sippy of cow's milk at morning snack time instead of a bottle, then I'll nurse at lunch, then afternoon bottle of frozen breast milk until the frozen breast milk runs out (in a couple of weeks probably) at which time she'll get a sippy of cow's milk and I'll continue to nurse at lunch. At least, that was the plan! But she's one step ahead it seems!

This week she started refusing to nurse at lunch time. Which means that I'm going the whole day without emptying my breasts, which has been slightly uncomfortable but OK. However, on Monday, she had just at a 4 oz bottle 1.5 hours before I came. So yesterday, Tuesday, I asked them to not offer a morning bottle and I just would come earlier to nurse. But she didn't want to nurse then either. (I don't know if she's just too busy??) And then she ate only a little lunch and drank a big bottle afterward. Today she refused again. Last Friday, I didn't come to nurse her because I was in meetings over lunch (I didn't pump but I picked her up early so it was alright). Then we nursed on demand over the weekend but I noticed she was a little less interested. I wonder if my supply has diminished to the point where she's not as interested in nursing? All week this week as she refuses to nurse at lunch time, she's been nursing a little more frequently at night (2-3 times instead of the usual 1), for whatever that's worth. Again, I'm worried that I don't have enough milk to make it worth her while to nurse during the day? Or am I just being irrationally insecure about my milk supply (it would not be the first time...)?

Does this all sound OK? I get nervous about not emptying my breasts often enough because I worry about my supply lowering to the point where she weans because it's not worth it anymore. I want her to wean because she doesn't need to nurse anymore and not because there isn't enough milk there to make it worth her while.

Am I doing OK? I would love our breastfeeding relationship to extend well into her 2nd year and beyond so I don't want to screw it up with this pump weaning process. Thanks

Re: checking in about my pump weaning progress

Hi sprocket, yes, I think you're being insecure about your supply. First of all - you're feeling almost uncomfortably full - so that alone tells you there is milk in there! Anyway,most likely she is busy when you come to nurse at lunch - as you've noticed yourself she's making up for it by nursing more at night. Typical distractible baby behavior! I don't think babies think to themselves how much milk there might or might not be. They want to nurse, they latch on, if there isn't as much there as they want, they nurse longer because they are programmed to know that not enough milk means they need to nurse more. That's why a newborn nurses non-stop! It sounds like your LO is doing exactly what you would want her to be doing - backing off on her consumption of EBM just as you are backing off on how much EBM you are pumping for her! Actually sounds quite ideal. Don't take it as a rejection. This is what weaning looks like. A very slow, gradual process of baby taking a little less milk, then maybe a little more, then maybe a little less again and so on. If you continue to go at lunchtime, you may find in a few weeks that she is very interested in nursing again. As long as you continue nursing on demand when you're together, you'll be fine!

Re: checking in about my pump weaning progress

OK thanks. I will just go with the flow then! Starting next week she can have cow's milk in her sippy with snacks and meals at daycare and I will stop by at noontime to visit--if she wants to nurse, great, if not, that's OK. And she can keep having her bottle in the afternoon for a little while, too. If she doesn't like the cow's milk, then she doesn't have to drink it because she's still nursing lots evenings/weekends and eating a good variety of solid foods including plenty of cheese and yogurt, meat and veggies too. I will be glad when the frozen milk is gone, in some ways, because then she'll be getting all of her milk through nursing. Right now, she's drinking bottles that I didn't produce (recently) which makes me uneasy!! I am so used to pumping each time she has a bottle. When she's just nursing evenings and weekends with no breast milk from bottles, our supply/demand equation will be balanced once again. Pump weaning is fabulous!! I feel so FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks again

Re: checking in about my pump weaning progress

Oh, I see - you feel like the fact that she is drinking milk from your frozen stash means that supply and demand are not being matched? But how is that any different when you introduce cow's milk? She's still getting calories from sources other than your breast. Which is fine! That's what she's supposed to start doing at this point. But the supply and demand coming directly from your breasts is still matched, you know? I mean if you think about it, when you are pumping during the day, you're really maintaining your supply to be able to pump the next day. If there's no need to pump tomorrow, there's no need to pump today. Anyway, glad you are feeling free! It is nice, isn't it?